Every small business wants their companies to be the ones consumers turn to when they need to make a special purchase or planning a special event. The holiday shopping season offers the best opportunities for retailers and service providers to make it to the top of shoppers’ lists. Luckily, the holiday sales predictions are bright. The National Retail Federation forecasts sales to increase a healthy 4.1 percent this year, to $616.9 billion. Is it a holiday miracle, or are marketers just getting … [Read more...]

Are you already falling a little behind on your holiday marketing? A whopping 49 percent of marketers begin their holiday marketing before Halloween, so if you haven’t got anything solid planned yet, you’d better get a move on. According to the NRF (National Retail Federation), 20 to 40 percent of yearly sales for small and mid-sized retailers take place in the last two months of the year, so the holidays are an important time to market your brand as well as your products and services. Here’s … [Read more...]

Whether it’s Black Friday or Valentine’s Day, it pays to know what keywords consumers are searching on for upcoming holidays. For example, in March check out how much the keyword “St. Patrick” spikes near that holiday. But when you’re figuring out your content marketing strategy, don’t just pay attention to the big holidays. In fact, your research could uncover some new “holidays” you never would have guessed were getting lots of search action. Did you know National Margarita Day just passed? … [Read more...]

Can you put a statistical number on the emotional quotient of a customer’s purchasing decisions? In a recent Forrester study, the researchers tried by examining the “rational, subconscious, and emotional elements of an experience.” Whatever the research, the bottom line remained the same: Happy customers are not only more likely to try new products and services, but also are more apt to spread the good news about their purchases. So how can you tap into that sweet emotion? Here are three ways … [Read more...]

Finally there’s a day to celebrate you, the small business owner. Actually, Small Business Saturday has been around since 2010. Started by American Express and falling on the Saturday after Thanksgiving every year, the day was created to drive awareness of and customers to small businesses. The day’s purpose is to remind consumers to “Shop Small” at local, independent businesses instead of in big-box stores. Even though Small Business Saturday is November 30, you still have time to make some … [Read more...]

If you haven’t started planning your holiday marketing strategy yet, and are worried that you’re behind, you’re right. Take a look around and you’ll notice most businesses large and small have already initiated some kind of seasonal marketing plan. Most hiring managers who plan to hire seasonal help are doing so this month and, if Deloitte is right, this holiday season will see retail spending rise between 4 and 4.5 percent compared to last year. So where should you concentrate your holiday … [Read more...]